Proposed revision of existing first responder page
First Responders & Helping Professionals
Demanding work can follow you home. If you respond to emergencies, care for others, or carry difficult decisions, counselling can offer space for the effects of the work on you and your relationships.
- Paulina Dysko, MSW, RSW
- Child-protection and forensic collaboration experience
- London in person; Ontario virtual
The work can stay with you
Police, firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, healthcare workers, and other helping professionals face different pressures. Some experiences may overlap, but no two roles or people are the same.
- You replay an incident or feel keyed up after a shift.
- Cumulative exposure or moral distress is wearing on you.
- You are irritable, distant, or exhausted at home.
- Workplace culture makes it hard to say you need support.
Support that respects your role
Therapy can address current stress, family spillover, and difficult experiences at a pace you help set. Practical steadiness and deeper trauma-focused work are options when appropriate. You do not need to prove that a single call was severe enough.
Relevant experience, stated clearly
Paulina spent years in child protection, including forensic investigative collaboration with police and supervision. That informs her understanding of frontline responsibility. She has not served as a police officer, paramedic, or firefighter. Her therapy work begins with your own account of the job and its effects.
Getting started
Book through Jane
Choose an available in-person London or virtual Ontario appointment.
Begin where you are
The first meeting can focus on current concerns, questions about privacy, and what you want from support.
Choose a pace
Discuss goals and approaches together; there is no requirement to describe the hardest event immediately.
Common questions
Do I need a major incident to seek help?
No. Cumulative stress, relationships, sleep, and other concerns are valid reasons to explore counselling.
Will my employer know?
Confidentiality and its legal limits are explained at intake. Information sharing and any employer or third-party arrangements should be discussed for your circumstances.
Do you understand my profession?
Paulina brings child-protection and forensic collaboration experience, while recognizing that your specific role and experience are your own.
Can I meet online after a shift?
Virtual appointments are offered across Ontario; Jane shows current availability.
Your experience has room here
An appointment can be a place to talk about what the work has meant for you and what you need next.